Air passenger duty increase: court case begins

I reported some time ago that the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO) was to take the Government to court over the increase in air passenger duty.

The case has just begun in the High Court, and already it promises to be entertaining.

The FTO is claiming that the tax is unlawful. They also highlight the absurd situation that arose whereby passengers were who had already booked their air tickets before the increase came into effect, were also asked to pay the increase. In the FTO's view, this was because the Government 'forgot' all about those passengers, and failed to take their situation into account when imposing the increase.

Sharp words, and I'm inclined to agree. Let's see how this one plays out.